DES MOINES, Iowa — A Marshalltown woman pled guilty to stealing medications from her patients while she was a nurse at two hospitals.

According to the United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of Iowa, 37-year-old Amanda Nicole Manatt pled guilty to diverting controlled substances for her own use and falsely noting the administration of a controlled substance in a patient record on Thursday.

The charges stem from an investigation into Manatt regarding stolen medications that began in 2023. According to court records, Manatt worked as a registered nurse at a hospital in Story County and in Marshall County.

In her role, Manatt was supposed to be administering medications like fentanyl, morphine, and Dilaudid to patients at the hospitals; but instead of giving the patients the medicine she took them for herself, a criminal complaint states.

One incident took place in November 2024 when a child was admitted to the emergency room at a hospital in Marshall County for a serious dog bite, a criminal complaint states. Manatt was supposed to give the child pain medication, but took the drugs for herself, the complaint states.

Manatt was also accused of falsifying patient records in an attempt to hide her crime.

Manatt faces up to five years in prison. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for July 11, 2025.

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